32 Notable Mobile Games Released in December 2019
The most important releases of December 2019 mobile games professionals should know about. Also 3 blockbusters in soft launch and 1 announced game.
Copy of the article is published at PocketGamer.biz.
Major Developers and Publishers
1.Black Desert Mobile by Pearl Abyss. Iconic MMORPG launches mobile version, there is no crossplay with PC.
2.EVE Echos (Early Access) by Netease/CCP. Hardcore space MMO also launches mobile spin-off. A collaboration between developers from Iceland and China.
3.Dream Detective by Century Game/FunPlus. Hidden objects game with cartoon-like art style from creators of Guns of Glory and King of Avalon. Also the first release from Chinese mobile games giant on Steam.
4.Lumia Saga by Century Game/FunPlus. Fantasy MMORPG with cuteness-focused anime art direction.
5.Fantasy Earth Genesis by Asobimo/Square Enix. High fantasy MMORPG with 50vs50 PvP battles.
Licensed Games
6.Jumanji: Epic Run by Crazy Lab. Endless runner tied-in with cinematic release.
7.Spies in Disguise: Agents on the Run by Blue Sky Studios/Denali Games. One more runner timed to the release of the animated movie with Will Smith in the main role.
8.The Love Boat: Puzzle Cruise by Gameloft. Match3 with decorative meta-game sunbathing under an umbrella of nostalgic IP from 80s.
9.Dobre Dunk by BroadbandTV Corp. Dobre Brothers are yet another prominent Youtubers with millions of subscribers, which you probably never heard about. They are 4 sons of Romanian Olympic champion in gymnastics who emigrated to the USA. And they are acrobats themselves.
10.Poopdie by Bulbware. A new dungeon crawler featuring PewDiePie, where you control a worm, who poops the troops. Initially it was rejected by Apple for being too crude. But eventually published on iOS too after the appeal by developers.
Noteworthy Indies
11.Rec Room by Rec Room Inc. Sandbox for user-generated games like Roblox. Available on Steam since June 2016.
12.Tiny Tomb: Dungeon Explorer by Mindsense Games. Rogue-like dungeon crawler with voxel art. Explore one tiny room at a time.
Top Downloaded Hypercasuals
13.Johnny Trigger by Estoty/SayGames. Shooter inspired by indie PC hit My Friend Pedro.
14.Paper.io 3D by Voodoo. The 3rd installment of the popular .io game from Voodoo, now the surface for painting is kind of a small planet in the shape of a banana or a star.
15.Push‘em all by Voodoo. Push other characters.
16.Perfect Ironing by Playgendary. Yep, you iron clothes.
17.Nails Done! by Lion Studios. Aha, painting nails.
18.Ice Cream Inc. by TapNation. Try to guess. It’s pouring ice cream into a cone.
19.Forge Ahead by Lion Studios. Craft swords in a forge.
20.Off the Rails 3D by Kwalee. Control the speed of a train to stay on the rails and get to the next station.
21.Soap Cutting by Crazy Lab. Well, soap cutting is part of ASMR practices — the sound is supposed to relax and please a listener. Now there is a hyercasual for that.
Premium Games
22.Farming Simulator 20 ($5.99) by Giants Software. Evergreen niche hit with dedicated fanbase.
23.Monopoly ($3.99) by Marmalade Game Studio. New official incarnation of the classic board game.
24.SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions ($23.99) by Square Enix. Remaster of PS Vita release of 2016. The 20th game in SaGa RPG series.
25.The Last Remnant Remastered ($19.99) by Square Enix. Remaster of RPG released on Xbox 360 in 2008.
26.Very Little Nightmares ($6.99) by Tarsier Studios/Bandai Namco. Escape room and puzzle adventure. Development studio with 65 employees is bought recently by Embracer Group (owner of THQ Nordic) for $10.5M.
27.Reiner Knizia’s Yellow & Yangtze ($9.99) by Dire Wolf Digital. Digital version of the strategy board game.
28.Esports Life Tycoon ($8.99) by U-Play Online. Esports team management simulator.
29.Swag and Sorcery ($6.99) by Lazy Bear Games/Uroboros Games/tinyBuild. Mobile port of RPG released on Steam in May 2019. “Build your own fantasy village, train and equip your heroes and send them out to collect Swag”.
30.Simulacra 2 ($4.99) by Kaigan Games. Sequel to an indie detective game. Investigate the death of a young influencer by digging into her smartphone.
Apple Arcade Releases
31.Lego’s Builder’s Journey by Light Brick/Lego. Spatial puzzles in Monument Valley style with Lego building blocks. The first game from internal Lego game studio.
32.Ultimate Rivals: The Rink by Bit Fry Studios. Crossover sport with licensed stars from NBS, NHL, NFL, etc. The game was revealed at The Game Awards show.
Noticed in Soft Launch
1.Marvel Super War by Netease. MOBA with Marvel heroes and villains. SL on iOS and Android in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
2.Disney Getaway Blast by Gameloft. Blasting puzzle with lucrative Disney license. SL on iOS and Android: Canada, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine.
3.Galaxy Mobile by IGG.com. City builder strategy in a scifi setting — build your starbase and launch spaceships to attack other players. SL on Android: France, Ukraine, and probably other countries.
Announced Games
1.Overdrive City by Gameloft. Car industry tycoon with licensed car models. Already soft launched in Canada, Philippines and Vietnam.
